1. Field of the Invention
Devices for protecting bedding items are disclosed herein.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
In recent years, bed bugs have made a comeback in the U.S. They are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools, modes of transport, and the like. Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. Bed bugs may gain access into mattresses and the like, for example, through stitch holes made in the top, side and/or bottom surfaces during the quilting process. Once inside a mattress or similar refuge, bed bugs pierce the mattress fabric by means of a proboscis to bite those resting on the mattress. Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices, especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, and the like.
In response to the resurgence of bed bugs, encasements for mattresses, box springs, sofas, pillows, and the like, have become available on the market that have a variety of features aimed at preventing bed bugs from entering and escaping the encasements. However, there are numerous shortcomings in encasement design characteristics and materials that may present potential problems for consumers.
In one example, due to the fabric used in certain mattress encasements, air flow is restricted through the encasement walls which promotes molding of the mattress. In a further example, fabric choice has proven to be problematic in certain applications. Specifically, the use of nonwoven fabrics for box spring encasements may lead to rips, tears, and/or cuts in the fabric due to contact with sharp plastic corner pieces of box springs and/or metal bed frames.
In another example, mattress encasements have been designed to fit various mattress depths by the incorporation of elastic into the design. However, this design provides significant bed bug harborage points, as the elastic forms a fold over the length of the zipper where bed bugs may hide. In a further example, certain mattress encasements use zippers with large teeth that leave holes at the closed end of the zipper. Such holes provide direct access points into and out of the encasement for bed bugs. Furthermore, the bed bugs can weave their way through the zipper teeth and enter or escape the encasement.
To prevent the forming of holes due to the zipper pulling open during normal use, certain mattress encasements use hook closures to secure the zipper pulls to the closed end of the zipper. However, such hook closures may be inadvertently opened, for example, due to normal use of the mattress, such as when the bed is made, or by changing the sheets or mattress cover. In addition, the metal hooks used in the hook closures may rub against and cut threads that hold the hooks in place, which could form a hole that would allow bed bugs to go in and out of the encasement.
For reasons such as these, improved encasements are needed to protect consumers from the problems imposed by parasites and/or insects, such as bed bugs.